Meet Finnegan

The past month has been quite an adventure.  First, work started again and so much of my time is spent lesson planning and trying to find creative ways to present the material to my students.  Second, we adopted a dog!! We found him in a parking lot adoption and saw him jumping straight up and down and had to go check him out.  We walked over and he jumped straight up over the enclosure into my arms....well, the rest is history.  We had to take him home after that, I mean, he chose us after all.  Third, a few weeks ago I got a bad case of strep throat which led to a fever of 106, me passing out and  going into shock and a life-saving 911 call by my husband.  This month has been anything but boring, and has given me a fresh perspective on life and the blessings and I am so thankful to have.

Summer Cocktails: Infante

After heading back to work this week after almost a month off for summer, I decided to still celebrate the warm evenings with a drink. I first tried the Infante when I went to Son of a Gun for my anniversary dinner.  It was so delicious there: sweet, tart and strong! I decided to replicate it at home and the result was nearly just as great (the one thing I would like to change is to make my own Orgeat from scratch). This is definitely a cocktail you want to have outdoors as the sun is setting so it is already twilight as you sip away.

Recipe: 
2 oz Tequila
3/4 oz Orgeat (Almond syrup)
3/4 oz lime juice
Fresh ground nutmeg (garnish)

This is super simple to make. Just add tequila, orgeat and lime juice in a shaker and shake well! Pour over ice and garnish with nutmeg. Then enjoy!

Deviled Eggs

I have always been a fan of deviled eggs.  They remind me of my grandma as she has always made them for every holiday or party my family has (and if you know my family, you know this is at least once if not several times a month).  This was my first time making my own and I was a little nervous as I usually over cook eggs when I hard boil them, but I read this "how to" and the eggs came out perfect.  I used this recipe, but added chives on top and placed the eggs over pickles.  The result was better than expected and they were a huge hit!

Black Swan

Tuesday Tunes: Go Do

In keeping with the spirit of my last week of summer, Jonsi says it best.

Go sing, too loud
Make your voice break- Sing it out
Go scream, do shout 
Make an earthquake...

You wish fire would die and turn colder
You wish, your young, could see you grow older
We should always know that we can do anything

Go drum, too proud
Make your hands ache - Play it out
Go march through a crowd
Make your day break...

You wish silence released noise in tremors
You wish, I know it, surrender to summers
We should always know that we can do everything

Go do, you'll know how to
Just let yourself, fall into landslide

Go do, you'll know how to
Just let yourself, give into low tide

Go do!

Tie strings to clouds 
Make your own lake - Let it flow
Throw seeds to sprout
Make your own break - Let them grow

Let them grow (Endless summers)
Let them grow (Endless summers)

You will survive, will never stop wonders
You and sunrise will never fall under

You will survive, will never stop wonders
You and sunrise will never fall under
We should always know that we can do everything

Go do!

Monday Motivation: Go Do

Sometimes, we get so bombarded in life by responsibilities and emotional baggage, that we forget we only have one life and time is precious.  Once you are even aware of a passing moment, that time is already gone.  While it is necessary to reflect, take a break and relax, it is equally important to seize the day, forget about insecurities or anything that may hold one back and just go do! Some of the best times are those that occur spur of the moment and are not planned but instead a happening of spontaneous events that come together in a perfect improvised symphony. So this week, go do and let the adventure take your for a ride. After all, isn't that what summer is for?!

Darling Summer Issue

Happy August! I know summer has been here for awhile now, but my summer just started last week and I am definitely enjoying some down time catching up on home projects, reading and much needed organization. Last year I blogged about Darling Magazine and their Kickstarter project here to go from begin strictly an online magazine to print and I am happy to state that it has been around for all four seasons now as it began with Fall and is now Summer!  It is encouraging to read the articles written by real women with similar passions and concerns as mine, inspiring to browse through the pictures and it looks great on the coffee table! You can get a summer issue here or at one the many stockists (including Anthropologie) and look out for Sabus and I while you're at it ;)

Summer Cocktail: Rosemary Gin Fizz

I am keeping my word to begin making delicious and fresh summer evening cocktails while I am on break.  For something refreshing and simple, I made a standard gin fizz but added fresh picked Rosemary from my herb garden.  It was perfect for a lovely evening to enjoy with friends!

Recipe:

1 lemon

1/2 tsp agave nectar (add more if you want it sweeter)

Rosemary sprig

1 1/2 oz Gin (I used Aviation)

splash of Club Soda

**Make sure to muddle some of the rosemary with lemon juice and agave nectar, then add gin and ice and shake. Top with soda water, garnish and enjoy! So simple.

Ancient Florals

A couple of weeks ago on a very HOT Friday afternoon, my husband and I ventured to the Huntington Library and Gardens to explore.  It was absolutely beautiful there navigating the Chinese and Japanese gardens, and sprawling landscape including a rose garden and actual paintings and artifacts.  It is nice to explore places within your own community (although next time I will go back on a misty day with a more comfortable temperature). 

Tuesday Tunes: Mazzy Star

Mazzy Star finally released a new song a couple of weeks ago for their forthcoming album, Seasons of Your Day, their first album in 17 years since Among My Swan in 1996!  "California" has gotten me super excited for the new songs and they still have it with Hope's voice that has not changed a bit and is as ever bit as dreamy sounding as before.  They are one of my favorite bands with So Tonight That I Might See being my favorite album, yes that has "Fade Into You" essentially one of the anthems of the 90s and an incredibly beautiful song.

July Cara Box {nautical}

This month I participated in the Cara box gift box exchange again via Wifessionals, with the ever so appropriate theme for summer: nautical.  I realize that nautical has been a trend and is possibly overdone at this point, but as someone who has always loved all things nautical (I am a July baby after all) I couldn't have been happier.  I was partnered up with Stefanie and Ashley this month, both of whom it was nice getting to know better via their blogs and email conversations.  It was a bit difficult to keep up this month as I was teaching summer school full time and was swamped with lesson planning and grading.  Anyway, when I arrived home from my last day teaching and saw the little box on my porch, I ran in the house and couldn't wait to open it.  Thanks so much Ashley, I loved everything and my house is now finally feeling a bit more summer-like.

Ashley sent me a tumbler, sunglasses, blue and white nail polish (very nautical), the cutest notebook, an Anchors aWeigh sign (I believe she made), post-its for my upcoming school year (little did she know, I live my daily life by post-it to do lists), and a super cute picture frame with an anchor and a painted wooden A (both not pictured).  SOOO thoughtful!!! =)

Farmer's Market Evening Cocktails {Pin}spirations

My summer finally begins today as it is the last day of teaching summer school in what has been a crazy busy month!  Nothing sounds better than walking to the farmer's market and making some fresh summer cocktails to enjoy on the porch with my husband on a warm summer evening!

All images via Pinterest

June Cara Box {fair}

This month I participated in my very first Cara Box exchange!  It is hosted by Kaitlyn of Wifessionals and was created in order to connect with other bloggers and bless the other person with a fun themed box of goodies.  I really enjoyed this first one although had a bit of trouble with the theme, Summer Fair or Circus.

I was paired up with Stephanie and Ann Marie (ps-the box is on it's way and should be there within the next day! so sorry for the delay) and it was really nice going through their blogs and getting to know a bit more about them.

Stephanie was so sweet in emailing me to find out about what I prefer and learn about some of my favorite memories of the fair.  After a few weeks of emailing back and forth about life, love and LA, I was so excited to see the box inside waiting after a long day/night at work!

First off, it wouldn't be the fair without cotton candy!

Not sure if she included these because she saw on my blog I like beer or it was intuitive, but either way,  these are great!

So fun and colorful!

A reusable togo cup in order to stay hydrated in the summer heat!

She threw in some of her favorite lip balm which I was super excited about as all of my students used this and I was curious.  The flavor was perfect for summer!

I shared with here that one of my favorite fair memories was always getting BBQ corn with my mom so she got me these great corn holders!

Thanks so much Stephanie and I can't wait to read about your new adventures in Colorado soon! This was really so much fun and I can't wait to participate in July's nautical box swap!

Echo Park Lake

 

This past week, the Echo Park Lake reopened after being closed for 2 years for renovations and clean-up. I am so excited and have already been there several times!  You will see a mix of cultures from around the community riding bikes, walking dogs, playing croquet and painting.  It is my new favorite spot for a afternoon picnic, a walk or just to sit and read a book on a bench lakeside.